Device for washing, cleaning, and drying lithographic plates



Dec. 13, 1955 J. T. LINDQUIST 2,726,414

DEVICE FOR WASHING, CLEANING AND DRYING LITHOGRAPHIC PLATES Filed Jan. 9. 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet l I N V EN TOR'. daad.; [5am/are [miga/s t T. LINDQUlsT 2,726,414

Dec. 13, 1955 J DEVICE FOR WASHING, CLEANING AND DRYING LITHOGRAPHIC PLATES 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 9, 1955 JNVENTOR.

dan@ 27am/awe //m/ ist United States PatentN O DEVICE FOR WASHING, CLEANING, AND DRYING LITHOGRAPHIC PLATES Jonas Theodore Lmdquist, Skokie, nl., assigner to Lind- Hog Machine Co., Chicago, Ill., a partnership consisting of Jonas Theodore Lindquistand Henry Hogstrom Application January 9, 1953, Serial No. 330,408

3 Claims. (Cl. 15-4) This invention relates to a device for washing, cleaning and drying lithographie plates, particularly plates which have been subjected to a graining operation.

Among the several objects of the invention is to provide a device which will effectively and speedily wash, clean and dry lithographie plates with the minimum degree of labor.

Another and equally important object of the invention is to provide such a device which will be economical in manufacture.

Yet another and important object of the invention is the provision of a device for successively washing, cleaning and drying lithographie plates.

Other objects will appear hereinafter.

The invention consists in the novel combination and arrangement of parts to be hereinafter described and claimed.

The invention will be best understood by reference to the accompanying drawings showing the preferred form of construction and in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional detail view of the same;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary side elevational view of the device shown in Fig. l, as viewed from the left thereof;

Fig. 4 is a sectional detail view taken substantially on line 4-4 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a sectional detail view taken substantially on line 5 5 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary sectional detail view of the reversing mechanism embodied in the invention;

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spaced spray pipes 18 each arranged to direct streams of water toward the meeting surfaces of the brushes in a manner such that a plate passing between the brushes will pass between Vthe sprays of water from the spray pipes 18.

The shafts supporting these roller brushes 14 each have at their corresponding end portions a pulley 19 which, by means of belts v20, are connected to pulleys 21 carried upon a sleeve 22 mounted for longitudinal movement upon a shaft 23. lThe sleeve 22'is shifted longitudinally of said shaft 23 by means of an arm 24 fixedly connected to a shaft 2S rotatably journaled in bearings 26 secured to the floor 27. On this shaft 25 is fixed a foot lever 28 by means of which the shaft 25 is rotated to shift the sleeve 22 against the action of a spring 28', Figs. 3 and 6.

On the shaft 23 are rotatably mounted bevel gears 29 and 30 adapted to alternately engage a bevel gear 31. These gears are arranged within a suitable housing 32. The gear 31 is mounted on a shaft 33. This shaft 33 by means of a pulley and belt 34 is connected to a pulley 35 mounted on the armature shaft 36 of a motor 37. ln the normal operation of the roller brushes 14, they rotate in the direction of the arrows (Fig. 3). so as to bring the bristles thereof into contact with the lithographie plate in a direction opposite to the direction of This arrangement will ellee-v indicated in Fig. 3.

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary detail view taken substantially on line 7 7 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 8 is a sectional detail view takensubstantially on line 8-8 of Fig. 6.

The several objects of my invention are accomplished by the preferred form of construction shown in the accompanying drawings.

In this connection an elongated substantially rectangularly shaped drain pan is indicated at 10 and includes a suitable drain opening 11 which may be connected to any suitable drain such as a sewer outlet or the like,

or which may be drained directly upon the oor.

' The drain pan 10 at its outer end portion is supported by legs 12. The forward portion of the drain pan 10 isjseeured to `a table 13 of any approved construction.

This Vtable at its end adjacent vthe drain pan` 10msupa ln order to accomplish this function, the outside faces of the sleeve 22 are each provided with a groove 38 and 38'. Adapted to engage in these grooves 38 and 38 are the heads 39 and 39 of pins 40 and 40 which are carried by the bevel gears 29 and 3G. When the head 39 engages in the groove 38, the roller brushes 14 will rotate in the direction indicated by the arrows in Fig. 3. This rotates the bristles of the brush against the surfaces of the lithographie plate in a direction opposite to the latters movement between the roller brushes 14. However, when the head 39 engages the groove 38 by the shifting of the sleeve 22 through the action of the foot lever 28, the roller brushes 14 will rotate in an opposite direction or in the direction of movement of the plate between the brushes. This condition facilitates the insertion 'of the lead end of the plate between the roller brushes.

Fromthe rollervbrushes 14, the lithographie plate passes between the water sprays from the spray pipes 18 to` a position where its lead edge is manually directed between squeegee rollers 42 arranged in parallel relation with'respect to each other. At the point of entrance of the plate for movement between these squeegee rollers, the plate again passes through the water spray from the spray pipes 43. The water from the plate is drained by a drain board 44 into a pan 45 above and supported by the table 13. From this pan 45 the water passes beneath the `plate 17 as at 46 into the drain pan 10.

The squeegee rollers 42 function to remove substantially all of thelwater from the lithographie plates. As the plate passes between the squeegee rollers 42, it moves upon a conveyor belt 47 preferably foraminated and supported by suitable rollers 48.

The squeegee rollers are operatively connected by sprocket chains and gears49 to the motor shaft 36, and the rollers 48 by means of sprocket chains and gears 50 are connected to the squeegee rollers 42 for operation in unison therewith.

The conveyor belt 47 is arranged within a drying chamber 51. This drying chamber 51 includes a heating unit 52 of any approved construction, the unit being symbolically indicated at 53. This heating unit 53 is arranged in an enclosure 54 having a plurality of slits 55 and downwardly extending deflecting ns 56 for deflecting heat down upon the lithographie plate. A suitable blower 57 communicates with the heating chamber 51 to circulate the heat therein. This blower is driven by a suitable motor 58.

A lithographie plate is washed, cleaned anddried by my apparatus in the following manner:

The operator places the lead end of the plate to be treated, upon the plate 17 and projects the end of such lithographie plate between the brushes 14. Before pro-V jecting such end between the brushes 14, the operator reverses the direction of rotation of the brushes from that shown in Fig. 3, by shifting the sleeve 21, which is accomplished by pivoting the foot'lever 27. This operation will rotate the brushes in a direction toward the movement of the plate with-respect to the brushes, so that it will require very little effort on theV part of the operator to introduce the lead end of the plate between the brushes. After this lead end has been started through the brushes, the foot lever 27 is released, the collar 21 shifted automatically by the spring 41, andthe brush rollers 14 rotated in a direction against the movement of the plate. TheV operator in manually pushing the plate between the brushes, thereby thoroughly cleans all grit and'other foreign matter from the plate, the plate being sprayed in the meantime by the spray from the spray pipes 18. After the plate has partially or entirely passed between the brushes 14, depending upon the length of the plate, the lead end of the plate is projected between the squeegee rollers 42 and by these squeegee rollers all water is removed from the plate. From the squeegee rollers 42, the plate moves upon the conveyor belt 47 and, as it is conveyed through the chamber 51, it is substantially dried by heat from the heating unit 52, which heating unit, as before stated, may be of any approved construction. After the plate has thus been dried, the operator manually removes the'plate from the conveyor belt 47 at the discharge end D of the apparatus.

From the foregoing description, it will be seen that I provide an apparatus in which lithographie plates may be successively washed, cleaned and dried in a relatively short space of time and with the least amount of labor.

The apparatus comprises relatively few parts, is substantially simple in construction, and therefore can be manufactured at an economical cost.

While I have illustrated and described the preferred form of construction for carrying my invention into effect, this is capable of variation and modification without departing from the spirit of the invention. I, therefore, do not Vwish to be limited to the precise details of construction set forth, but desire to avail myself of such variations and modifications as come within the scope of the appended claims.`

Having thus described my invention, what `I claim as new` and desire toprotect by Letters Patentis:

l. In combinationin an apparatus for washing, clean# ing and drying lithographie plates, a table consisting of a tapered drain pan extending from one end thereof and a drying chamber at the'opposite end, a conveyor in said drying chamber, squeegee rollers adjacent the drying chamber and at one end of said conveyor and through which said plates are manually passed, a drain pan beneath said rollers and having communication with said other pan, a pair of parallelly extending rotating brushes above and in spaced relation to the line of connection between said drain pans, rotating means for said brushes and said squeegee rollers and having operative connection to said conveyor, and means for operatively controlling the direction of rotation of said brushes upon manually passing a plate therebetween.

2. In combination in an apparatus for washing, cleaning and drying lithographie plates, a table consisting of a tapered drain pan extending from one end thereof and a drying chamber at'the opposite end, a conveyor in said drying chamber, squeegee rollers adjacent the drying chamber and at one end of said conveyor and through'which said plates are manually passed, a drain pan beneath said rollers and having communication with said other pan, a pair of parallelly extending rotating brushes above and in spacedrelation to the line of connection between said drain pans, rotating means for said brushes and said squeegee rollers and-having operative connection to said conveyor, and-means for operatively controlling the direction of'rotation of said brushes upon manually passing a plate therebetween, said last named means including a shaft carried by said apparatus, a pair of spaced apart confronting gears on said shaft, a beveled gear having operative connection with said pair of gears and said rotating means, a sleeve adapted for longitudinal movement on said shaft, means on said sleeve for alternately engaging one of said pair of gears to operatively connect said sleeve for rotation with-said one gear; and means on said sleeve for operatively connecting individually each of said pair of brushes for effecting rotation thereof in opposite directions with respect to each other.

3. In combination in an apparatus for washing, eleaningtand drying :lithographie plates, a table consisting of a tapereddrain panextending from one end thereof and a drying chamber at the opposite end, a conveyor in said drying chamber, squeegee rollers adjacent the drying chamber and at one end of said conveyor and through which said plates are manually passed, a drain pan beneath said rollers Vand having communication with said other pan, a pair of parallelly extending rotating brushes above and in spaced relation to the line of connection between said drain pans, rotating means for said brushes and said squeegee rollers and having operative connection to said conveyor, and means fory operatively controlling the direction of rotation of said brushes upon manually passing a plate therebetween, said last-named means including a shaft carried by said apparatus, a pair of spaced apart confronting gears on said shaft, a beveled gear having operative connection with said pair of gears and said rotating means, a sleeve adapted for longitudinal-movement on said shaft, means on said sleeve for alternately engaging one of said pair of gears tooperatively connect said sleeve for rotation with said one gear, and pulley and belt connection between said Vsleeve and each of said pair of brushes for effecting rotation thereof in opposite direction with respect to each other.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,198,346 Hake Sept. 12, 1916 1,888,498 Gipe Nov. 22, 1932 2,095,697 Hammer Oct. 12, 1937 2,282,628 Whann et al May 12, 1942 

